The conquest of the Boundary-grade dungeon came to an end.
With the aid of the magical beasts, Hajoon was able to safely arrive near the boundary.
After releasing the magical beast, Hajoon, Joa, and the three heroes who participated in the conquest successfully exited the area.
"Thank you so much, Irregular."
After exiting the zone, Association President Andre Heut, having briefly heard an explanation from Joa, conveyed his gratitude to Hajoon with a respectful bow.
"If it weren’t for you, this mission would have failed, and we all might have died."
"..."
When the Association President heard from Joa that the dungeon near the boundary wasn't of the Extinction rank, he was in disbelief.
If that Boundary-ranked dungeon had broken, America could have suffered unimaginable devastation.
However, his astonishment that a young boy had cleared such a high-ranked dungeon was mixed with relief. If Hajoon hadn't cleared the dungeon, America might have lost its greatest hero, and many superhumans could have perished while trying to fend off the massive wave of magical beasts due to the dungeon break.
"I'm not sure how to express my gratitude..."
His sincerity was palpable, both from his facial expression and his actions.
But setting that aside, Hajoon was tired.
Even though he comfortably rode atop a magical beast to get near the boundary, it didn't dispel his fatigue. Moreover, he felt a bit exhausted from always lifting and swinging Maharazu, which had increased in weight.
"I'm sorry, but I'd like to rest for a bit now."
"Oh! Of course, I'll escort you to the hotel immediately."
At that, Hajoon nodded.
He initially intended to finish the conquest and immediately head to England to meet Elaine, but he figured a day's rest wouldn't hurt.
And so, through a gate opened by one of the agents, Hajoon headed to a luxury hotel in America.
Time passed, and it was now 8:30 in the evening.
Hajoon yawned and woke up from his sleep.
"Ugh... yawn."
Although he wanted to continue sleeping due to the soft touch of the hotel bed, his growing hunger made him decide to get up. As he left the bed and headed to the living room of his suite, he was pondering over what to have for dinner.
Knock. Knock.
At the sound of knocking, Hajoon, still feeling groggy, slowly rose from the sofa.
He approached the door and asked, "Who is it?"
"It's Andre Heut, the president of the American Heroes Association."
Upon hearing this, Hajoon opened the door. Standing before him was Andre Heut and, right behind him, Joa.
"Did you rest well, Irregular?"
"Yeah, I had a decent rest."
"Good to hear. Have you had dinner yet?"
Dinner... He had just been wondering about what to eat.
"Not yet."
"Well, that's timely. I have something to discuss. Would you mind joining me for dinner?"
Something to discuss...
Regardless, Hajoon was hungry, so he nodded. Whatever the topic, he assumed it was about the rewards related to the dungeon expedition.
With that, Hajoon left the suite with Andre Heut and Joa to head for the hotel's in-house restaurant.
Considering they weren't alone, they chose a private section inside the restaurant. Once Hajoon, Joa, and the association president were seated, Andre Heut started the conversation, even before their food arrived.
"Firstly, I'd like to express my gratitude once again for your assistance with the recent dungeon expedition."
"The feeling's mutual."
As Andre Heut spoke, Joa gave Hajoon a faint smile.
Hajoon, perhaps due to just waking up, simply responded with a nod and a somewhat blank expression.
"So, what did you want to discuss?"
"Well, given your significant contributions to the dungeon expedition, we intend to offer you a reward that corresponds to your efforts. Do you have any specific wishes?"
"A reward? Weren't you just going to pay me according to our agreement?"
"With the incredible feat you've accomplished... You're the sixth one, Irregular."
At that, Hajoon looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"You're the sixth person to conquer a Boundary-grade dungeon."
"And that's considered that high of a rank?"
"I didn't witness it myself, but from what I've heard from Hero Joa, it's likely a Boundary-grade dungeon."
Immortal. A dungeon located in the heart of the abyss, deemed impossible for humanity to conquer.
Then there's Boundary. A dungeon situated on the verge between the conquerable and the unconquerable by humanity. A dungeon where there's a slight chance of conquest.
As Andre Heut mentioned, there have been about five successful conquests so far.
And now, thanks to the recent events, there was a sixth.
"And you, Irregular, are unique. It's the first time all five members of an expedition party returned safely. Honestly, given this unprecedented achievement, I'm uncertain about what reward would satisfy you. Is there anything in particular you desire?"
"Um..."
Hajoon pondered, but nothing specific came to mind.
"There may be things I desire, but it seems the president of the association might not be able to grant them."
As Hajoon pondered this, the food arrived. Andre, who had been wearing a gentle expression, looked at Hajoon and said,
"Well, you don't have to tell me right away. Take your time, and let me know when you've decided."
Ding-ding-
"Ah, excuse me for a moment."
Just then, an unexpected call came to the president’s smartphone.
Andre glanced at the caller ID, displayed an expression of surprise, and then answered,
"Liam? Why are you calling?"
Upon hearing the name 'Liam', Hajoon turned to look at the association president.
Did he just mention Liam?
-······.
"What, what!? Is that really true!?"
Having received some shocking news from Liam, President Andre's face paled.
By now, Hajoon's curiosity was piqued. He paused in his meal to watch the president’s reactions, sensing that something significant had occurred.
"Alright, if that's the case, I'll investigate it myself."
With that, President Andre ended the call, taking a moment to sigh deeply, his expression fraught with concern.
Joa, worried by the sudden turn of events, asked,
"What happened?"
"There's been a complication. I heard something from Liam..."
"Oh, from him?"
"What did Liam say?"
Without hesitation, Hajoon jumped into Joa and Andre's conversation.
Andre hesitated for a moment, and then candidly shared,
"It’s not confirmed, but according to Liam, it seems a new Mythic-ranked artifact has emerged."
"Mythic-ranked artifact... Is that true?"
"Yes, it probably is. If Liam said so, I believe him."
Joa was taken aback by this revelation. Andre, with a troubled expression, swallowed hard. Meanwhile, Hajoon appeared outwardly calm, but internally he wondered,
‘It sounds like they're talking about the artifact Elaine possesses...’
Liam’s words are likely true.
His instinct about artifacts, especially the aura emanating from a Mythic-ranked one, is uncannily accurate. He must've sensed its unique energy from afar.
Setting that aside, Hajoon was now in a dilemma.
‘Should I hide it?’
Most likely, Liam knows of the new Mythic-ranked artifact's existence but doesn’t know its exact location. Andre, fearing the artifact might fall into a villain’s hands, will likely start a search soon. But Hajoon had no intention of revealing the truth.
Honestly, knowing the truth, Hajoon wasn't too worried. Above all, divulging this could lead to complications for both him and Elaine.
“Have we found the location of the Mythic-ranked artifact?”
Joa asked Andre.
She asked with a slightly stern expression, and Andre nodded in response.
Seeing this, a question mark seemed to hover over Hajoon's head.
“...You found it?”
“Yes, we don't know the exact location, but according to Liam, it's somewhere in England. By chance, Liam visited England and was able to narrow down its location.”
“Why was he in England?”
“He gathered with some friends for training in England. We were lucky.”
At that, Hajoon recalled something Anna had mentioned previously.
-How about visiting us in England? I'm thinking of taking the kids for some training.
Was it during their time at the hot springs?
He was quite sure Anna mentioned something like that...
Anyway, thinking of it now felt oddly coincidental.
Such a coincidence seemed downright absurd.
“So, you only know it's in England but haven't found it yet?”
“Yes, we haven't located it yet, but it's only a matter of time.”
“...”
Hajoon closed his eyes and began to ponder.
Should he be honest about it...? Or should he continue to hide it...?
“Is there something worrying you...?”
“Are you alright?”
Witnessing Hajoon’s contemplative state, both Andre and Joa expressed their concern. Hajoon slowly opened his eyes, turned to Andre, and posed a question.
“Who else knows about the discovery of the Mythic-ranked artifact?”
“Currently, only Liam and we, here, know about it.”
“Don’t investigate that Mythic-ranked artifact. Just keep it hidden.”
“Pardon? Why all of a sudden-”
“The user of that Mythic-ranked artifact is my younger sister.”
“What?! Really?!”
Andre's eyes widened in astonishment, and Joa covered her mouth in shock.
Were they startled by hearing two surprising facts at once?
For a moment, they just stared at Hajoon, at a loss for words.
Breaking the ensuing silence, they each posed a question.
“You... you had a younger sister?”
“Wait, more importantly, your sister is the owner of a Mythic-ranked artifact?”
In response, Hajoon calmly nodded while munching on some food.
He initially wanted to keep it a secret, but he felt it was only a matter of time before they'd find out. Better to be honest and ask for their assistance.
“Good heavens...”
A shocked sigh escaped from Andre.
What sort of family was this?
While the brother is an Irregular, the younger sister wields a Mythic-ranked artifact.
Frankly, Andre Heut was finding it hard to grasp the situation.
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